The present invention relates to a probe device for a biological optical measurement device, and more particularly, to a probe device for a biological optical measurement device suitably applicable to measurement of local hemodynamic variations in a living body.
A measurement device called an “optical topographic device” is known as a biological optical measurement device. This device is designed to perform measurement by attaching a probe device with many probe units having a light irradiation/detection section arranged in such a way that the respective probe units sticks fast to a measurement region, for example, the head, and irradiating the region with near infrared rays from the respective probe units.
A probe device according to a conventional technology as disclosed by JP-A-2001-286449 is configured with a plurality of probe units arranged in a grid-like pattern in a shell section made of a sheet material formed into a bowl-like shape conforming to the shape of the head of an examinee. The probe units are individually detachable from the shell section and when it is confirmed from a monitor screen that the contact between a certain probe unit and the scalp is incomplete due to hair or the like, only the probe unit in question can be reattached. When attached to the head of the examinee, the probe device configured as shown above does not always fit with the head due to individual differences in the shape of the head of the examinee and differences in the region of attachment, and therefore the probe device is used with a fixing belt attached to the jaw and with the shell section firmly pressed and fixed to the head. When carrying out measurement, the prove device has such a structure that near infrared rays transmitted through each optical fiber are irradiated onto the subcutaneous region of the head through a light-emitting probe unit and reflected light is received with a light-receiving probe unit and sent back to the main unit of a measurement device through the optical fiber.
The conventional technology has a structure that projections are formed at the tips of the light-emitting probe unit and the light-receiving probe unit and the end of the optical fiber protrudes from the center of the projection. Furthermore, as another conventional example, the tip of an optical fiber is attached to a fiber holding member, an adjustment knob is provided for this fiber holding member to allow height adjustment and fine adjustment. The probe configured in this way cannot be removed from the shell section, but the tip of the optical fiber can be moved inside the shell section through the adjustment knob and when the contact between the tip of the optical fiber and scalp is not sufficient or the like, it is possible to sweep aside the hair and make an adjustment.